Roma migrants and refugees, a two speed reception

At the moment when François Hollande decided to welcome 24 000 refugees, evictions from shantytowns and destruction of Roma camps were unabating

At the moment when François Hollande decided to welcome 24 000 refugees, evictions from shantytowns and destruction of Roma camps were unabating. On Thursday, Patrick Braouezec (Left Front), Aline Archimbaud (Europe Ecology – The Greens) and several associations (Médecins du monde, the Red Cross etc...) denounced latent racism in regard to Roma people. The Ecologist senator for Seine-Saint-Denis said she could not comprehend “why Roma groups, who are also refugee groups, suffer such treatment”. For his part, Patrick Braouezec, head of the urban community of Plaine Commune, regretted “that at the time when European states mobilise for refugees, they are incapable of mobilising for European peoples who live in our country”. Both pointed to the fact that “responsibility is shared by those at the highest political level down to local councils.” On Thursday, 300 Roma were evicted from their camp at Asnières-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine). Aline Archimbaud said that a camp at Bobigny is menaced with a similar eviction.